IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia (IMJM)
Not a member yet
1450 research outputs found
Sort by
Perception Towards COVID-19 Vaccination-A Cross-Sectional Study in Iraq
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: The current COVID-19 pandemic has urged the scientific community globally to find answers in terms of therapeutics including vaccination to control the disease. Various COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed in many countries, including Iraq. Vaccination program will only be successful when there are high rates of acceptance and coverage. Thus, to accomplish this program, it is critical to understand the perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine and its acceptance. Therefore, our study was performed to investigate community perceptions towards COVID-19 vaccinations in Iraq. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Iraq from March 2021 to June 2021. We enrolled a total of 9,620 participants (3,160 men and 6,460 women). The participants responded to an online survey on COVID-19 vaccination which consisted of three sections of questionnaires. The first section (Section A) was on demographic characteristics of respondents including age, gender, occupation, level of education, and residency whereas the second section (Section B) was on the respondent’s perception toward COVID-19 vaccine, with nine inquiries about reasons for fearing COVID-19 vaccine. The final section (Section C) was questions on the type of vaccine they prefer to receive, once it is made available. RESULTS: Of the total respondents, 70.68% were not keen for a COVID-19 vaccination. Some of the respondents’ concerns were that the vaccines are not safe and may cause infection with COVID-19, infertility, congenital infection, and fetal anomalies. Majority of respondents who accepted to be vaccinated trusted the Pfizer vaccine followed by Sinopharm vaccine. CONCLUSION: Hesitancy for COVID-19 vaccination among participants were mainly due to lack of trust in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and also feared of being infected and death. Thus, the healthcare providers and community leaders should come out with strategies to decrease the hesitancy and increase the acceptability of the vaccines
Exploratory Study on the Compensation Practices in Private Hospitals for Clinical Specialists in Malaysia
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Fee-for-service (FFS) has been the main payment method for clinical specialists around the world. However, until most recently, several payment methods for doctors, particularly clinical specialists, such as salary, pay for performance and blended remuneration of the above models have been researched. This mechanism is being used to increase the level of quality and value of healthcare services in the health sector. Despite increasing interest in these alternative payment methods, there is limited research about the payment method offered to clinical specialists in Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using qualitative interview with 15 private clinical specialists and 4 hospital administrators working in private hospitals in Malaysia, we explored the existing payment methods offered to private clinical specialists by private hospitals. RESULTS: Our study found that four payment methods were used which were FFS, salary-based, salary-based plus incentives and pool system. Majority of the clinical specialists interviewed were under the FFS payment method. New emerging payment methods which include salary-based and salary-based plus incentives were implemented in recent years, while the pool system was confined to certain specialities. CONCLUSION: The private hospitals in Malaysia provides different payment methods to the private clinical specialists which includes FFS, salary-based, salary-based plus incentives and pool system. These findings can help policymakers to explore the potential of various payment methods in the near future
Development and Validation of an Educational Module on Intimate Partner Violence for Young Adults
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Intimate partner violence may occur among young adults. It is influenced by their perceptions and attitudes concerning this violence. This study aims to develop and validate an educational module on intimate partner violence among young adults in Kelantan, Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study was conducted in three phases consisting of needs assessment, development of the educational module, and content and face validation. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 young adults to identify the needs for this module. The module content was based on several guidelines, relevant literatures, and findings from needs assessment. Content validation was done by six experts and content validity index was calculated. Face validation was evaluated by 30 young adults. The percentage of agreement was calculated for each item. RESULT: The educational module contains five units covering the forms, causes, impacts, and supports in preventing intimate partner violence as well as rejecting it and willingness to disclose. The content validity was good, rated as relevant by all the experts. The percentages of participants in face validation who strongly agreed with the items assessed for all the materials ranged between 70% to 93.3%. Additional comments given by the participants were considered and the module was modified accordingly. CONCLUSION: The module has good content and face validity. It can be used to improve perceptions and attitudes toward intimate partner violence among young adults
The Effectiveness of Diabetes Conversation Map™ among Insulin Refusal Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Majority of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) will eventually need insulin therapy to optimise their blood glucose level. However, there is difficulties in initiating an insulin therapy due to high refusal rate among these patients. Diabetes Conversation Maps (DCM), a tool designed to educate patients with diabetes and their family members is available in Malay language since 2008. Although DCM has been used in certain centres in Malaysia, their effectiveness has not been evaluated. Thus, we have conducted a study to assess effectiveness of DCM compared to standard counselling therapy in T2DM patients who initially refused insulin therapy by assessing acceptance rate post intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized control study was conducted on 88 adults T2DM patients who initially refused insulin therapy in primary care clinics in Johor. A total of 44 patients received group based education using a Malay version DCM whereas another 44 patients received standard individual education. Results were analysed using a Chi-square analysis and the significant result was set at p value of < 0.05. RESULTS: The response rate was 97.7% and there was a significant difference in insulin acceptance between these two groups. Eighty-six percent of T2DM patients in the intervention group education eventually accepted insulin initiation compared to only 11% in the control group (p < 0.001).CONCLUSION: Group education using Malay Diabetes Conversation Map on insulin initiation is effective in increasing acceptance among patients who initially refuse insulin treatment in primary care. We recommend using DCM as part of educational module to improve patient diabetic management
Sources of Perceived Social Support and Associated Factors for Depression amongst Malay Primary School Adolescents in Kelantan, Malaysia
Get PDFINTRODUCTION: Adolescent depression is a substantial health concern nowadays, and perceived social support determines the outcome. Lack of research on depression amongst Malaysian younger group of adolescents, puts them at risk of being under diagnosed and under treated. Furthermore, the function of various social supports for depression in early adolescents is less explored. The primary objective of this study was to determine the level of support for adolescent depression from five different sources: i) parents, ii) teachers, iii) close friends, iv) classmates, and v) others in school. The secondary objective is to study the prevalence of depression amongst primary school adolescents and establish their association and the other factors that influence depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 576 adolescents between the ages of 10-11 year olds were conducted from August 2020 till September 2020 using the Malay Children Depression Inventory (M-CDI) and Malay Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (M-CASSS). RESULTS: The respondents reported that teachers were the most supportive. Approximately 131 (22.7%) of them had depressive symptoms. Only parental support significantly reduced their risk of developing depression. Having a single parent household, being bullied, emotional abuse, and performing poorly in school increased the likelihood of developing depression. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study, demonstrated the necessity for early depression screening amongst primary school adolescents and the need for stakeholders to continue supporting parents in their efforts to deal with adolescent concerns
An Exophytic Hepatocellular Carcinoma in an Undiagnosed Cirrhotic Liver Mimicking an Intraperitoneal Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Get PDFExophytic hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare type of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which may present with a wide variation in clinical presentations and imaging findings. Thus it may cause diagnostic dilemma and may need a multidisciplinary approach management tailored to individual patient for a better outcome. Here we reported a case of a patient with exophytic hepatocellular carcinoma mimicking an intraperitoneal sarcoma.
Knowledge and Practices of Episiotomy amongst House Officers, Student Midwives and Experienced Midwives in Low-Risk Obstetrics Practice – A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Hospital in Malaysia
Get PDFIntroduction: Episiotomy rates differ widely internationally. There are few studies that explore gaps in knowledge and practices amongst clinicians performing episiotomy, yet limited amongst the obstetrics frontliners attending to low-risk births in Malaysia. This study aims to assess knowledge and practices amongst house officers, student midwives and experienced midwives, to determine if those gaps are narrower in this era of evidence-based practice. Materials and methods: A previously validated questionnaire was administered to three groups of respondents: house officers, student midwives and experienced midwives working in the obstetrics department and labour room. One section of the questionnaire explored the participants' knowledge of episiotomy based on a single best answer. The other section explored the participants' practices regarding episiotomy. Each response was classified as "correct" or "other", resulting in a 3x2 table for each item, and a chi-squared test was used to compare groups. Results:128 respondents from three groups completed the questionnaire. 95.3% of all respondents preferred the mediolateral approach. House officers were the most knowledgeable in anatomy and episiotomy complications. More than 60% respondents of all three groups performed episiotomies on nulliparous women. Medical officers had a significant (p:<0.001) impact on influencing the decision to perform episiotomy amongst house officers. Conclusions: Despite knowledge levels and influence by seniors, practice of episiotomy is far from ideal amongst our obstetrics frontline staff. Evidence-based education and workshops with interprofessional education may be the way forward.
Therapeutic Potentials of Bee Products for Treatment of COVID-19
Get PDFThe pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or mostly known as COVID-19, has infected millions of people and led to a public health crisis. Various aspects including the economy and daily routine of life have also been severely affected. At the time being, treatment using previously FDA-approved antiviral such as hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir, as well as using convalescent plasma does not guarantee full recovery of COVID-19 infection. Thus, the search for effective treatment against COVID-19 is actively going on including using natural products. Bee products such as honey (with trehalulose sugar), propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen, and bee bread, are among the natural products that hold promises in attenuating COVID-19, either as an alternative source of the antiviral activity or to enhance the activity of current standard ward treatments. Besides being used in the human diet since ancient times, numerous pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown their pharmacological activities in improving general well-being as well as reducing the risk of developing various diseases. This review will consider a range of honey bee and stingless bee products and evaluate the evidence available for their therapeutic potential against COVID-19 infection. Here, we review the biological properties of bee products and evaluate the evidence available for their therapeutic potential in reducing the risk of developing COVID-19 as well as curing it
Prevalence of Problematic Internet Use and its Association with Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies among Universiti Teknologi Mara Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting our day-to-day life and brings a serious impact on public mental health. Due to the practice of physical distancing, the Internet technology is being used to accommodate our daily interactions. In view of the increasing dependency towards this technology, its impact on our mental health well-being is indeterminate. This study aimed to examine the association between problematic Internet use, psychological distress, and the type of coping strategies used among Universiti Teknologi MARA students during this pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using Internet Addiction Test, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Inventory. Data was analysed using SPSS version 26. Results: Of the 444 respondents, 32.2% were noted to have problematic Internet use with 61.3% reported psychological distress. Problematic Internet use was associated with higher level of psychological distress (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01 – 1.08), and the coping strategies of self-distraction (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04 – 1.47) and behavioural disengagement (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07 – 1.55). Conclusion: A high prevalence of psychological distress and its association with problematic Internet use and maladaptive coping among students during this pandemic was evident in this study. Hence, the findings from this study could help to provide insight on the state of the psychological well-being of students in higher education institutions as well as to assist the stakeholders in taking measures to help the students dealing with the pandemic
Malay Version of Moral Identity Scale: A Cross-Cultural Validation In Malaysian Youth
Get PDFIntroduction: The Moral Identity Scale (MIS) measures the construct of moral identity – internalization and symbolization. This study aims to translate and validate the original English version of MIS to the Malay language version. Methods: The 10 items of MIS (five items of symbolization and five items of internalization) were translated to the Malay language through forward and backward procedures. A total of 388 youth-aged participants were involved in this online survey. Participants’ age ranged from 18-24 years old. More than half were females. Results: The construct of moral identity was maintained with the re-modeling of internalization. The final model suggested retaining the three internalization items and five symbolization items. Discriminant validity and the construct reliability of the two factors were satisfactory (symbolization=0.81, internalization=0.69). Internal consistencies indicated acceptable Cronbach’s alpha values for both symbolization (0.85) and internalization (0.81). Test-retest Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was good and satisfactory (internalization=0.79 and symbolization=0.81). Conclusion: The Malay version of MIS is a reliable tool and free from cultural bias which is useful to be applied in a public health-related program